Student consolidation loan involves converting the loans taken by the students or parents into a single big loan from one lender. They are available as FFELP, FISL, Perkins, HEAL, Health Professional Student Loans, NSL, Guaranteed Student Loans and Direct loans. Few of the lenders let you consolidate these loans as private loans.
You pay lower monthly installments since the duration of these loans is more than 10 years. Usually, these loans last for 12-30 years according to the amount borrowed. This is an easier way for you to repay the loan without having to face financial crunch. However, you pay more interest as the loan period is more.
If you set the loan period less than 10 years, your monthly payment may reduce but your loan terms may not be more than 10 years. But you should ensure that you pay your monthly installments regularly. Failure to do so will raise the interest you have to pay your lender. This is because the charge paid on these loans is an average of all the consolidated loans, rounded off to the closest 8th of a percent, maximized at 8.25%. But consolidating before repayments gives you lower interest rates.
If you are finding it difficult to meet your repayment schedule, opt for the income contingent payment plan. This plan allows you to adjust your monthly payments according to your monthly income. With this plan, you pay lower installments for the first 2 years and can increase the terms without consolidation. But remember that all these options will mean having to pay more interest.